Embossing methods such as for example hot embossing of polymer substrates, spin-on oligomers or polymers or UV-based nanoimprint methods are known as “single step” or “step & repeat” methods, the step-and-repeat methods being suitable for producing large substrates, for example 300 mm silicon wafers which are embossed in many individual steps. For example, small, more economical, structured quartz glass dies with active areas of for example 25 mm×25 mm with very high resolutions <10 nm and calibration accuracies <50 nm between the die and substrate are achieved.
Known embossing methods for producing structure sizes in the nm and micron range often have the problem of gas inclusions in the photoresist which on the one hand can originate from closed ambient air between the die and substrate, on the other hand can also be formed by the solvent escaping from the resist.
Therefore the object of the invention is to devise a method and a device with which structures as free of faults as possible can be applied to the substrates, even for very high resolutions in the nanometer range.
This object is achieved with the features of the claims. Advantageous developments of the invention are given in the dependent claims. All combinations of at least two of the features given in the specification, the claims and/or the drawings also lie within the framework of the invention.